


Holiday Adventures with Dad and Jim

by treksnoopy



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-18
Updated: 2012-12-18
Packaged: 2017-11-21 10:10:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/596488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/treksnoopy/pseuds/treksnoopy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A 5 +1 fic in which Joanna catches Jim and Bones decking the halls…again, again, and again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Holiday Adventures with Dad and Jim

**Author's Note:**

> Written for this prompt at Space_wrapped 2012 on Live Journal. It's Joanna's first Christmas home after leaving for college and while she's unfortunately used to finding Jim and her father in compromising positions, she has forgotten how often it can happen, especially with all the holiday mistletoe.  
> Beta by the fabulous abigail89. Much ♥ to you darlin'! All remaining issues/problem are mine.

1.

Joanna is exhausted by the time she parks the car. She takes a minute to look at the old farmhouse. She is about twelve hours ahead of schedule. They’d decided to have Christmas in Iowa this year, so after finishing her finals, she’d taken a shuttle to Des Moines where the man at the rental counter had been exceptionally helpful in getting her on the road. It is almost 11pm, but there is a glow from the large picture window telling her that Jim isn’t in bed yet. She knows her father wouldn’t be arriving until tomorrow evening, being stuck giving one final lecture at the academy; so tonight it will just be her and Jim.

The possibility of spending time alone with Jim planning Christmas is too exciting to pass up, so she had jumped at the chance of grabbing an earlier shuttle. She hasn’t seen Jim or her dad since she left for school in September and she’s missed them both.

She grabs her bags off the passenger seat and heads for the house, stopping for a moment to admire the stars. It’s a lovely clear night and the frozen ground crunches beneath her feet as she makes her way up the porch and keys open the door. She sets her bags in the foyer and heads for the living room. There is no sound of a vid playing but she can smell the fire that is burning in the fireplace. When she rounds the corner she can see Jim sitting on the old green sofa in front of a dwindling fire, his head dropped against the back cushion, arms spread across the back. She smiles to herself as she makes her way forward for a surprise hug hello.

She takes a few steps and notices Jim’s head move to the side then push back into the cushion. Two more steps and one hand drops in front of him and he makes a noise as if he is dreaming. One more step and the floor boards of the old house give her away, creaking her presence. Jim’s head jerks around, his face morphing from anger, to shock, then to embarrassment as he recognizes the intruder.

“Jo! Shit!”

Joanna startles and jumps back a step, but not before seeing a dark head and familiar eyes over pop over the edge of the sofa before it quickly ducks back down.

She immediately turns to face the doorway, but doesn’t leave. She knows some of her friends would die of embarrassment if they found themselves in this situation, but this isn’t her first rodeo.

“Hey Jim! Hi Daddy!” she giggles. She can hear familiar grumbles, the sounds of fabric being rearranged, and she is pretty sure the sound of her father’s knees creaking as he gets off the floor. “Guess I’m not the only one who caught an early shuttle.”

“I’m sorry, sweetie,” her father said as he wraps his arms around her. She turns, burrowing into his chest and breathing in the scent of being home. When she looks up, his face is red and his hair is a compete mess, but he is smiling at her as he kisses the top of her head.

“It’s okay,” she sighs snuggling into his embrace. “Is Jim alright?”

She feels him look over his shoulder and chuckle, “Yeah.”

“I’m fine, Jo-Jo; you just surprised the hell out of me.” Jim says, laying a hand on her shoulder.

She grins at his mis-buttoned shirt as she turns to hug Jim. “You know, you two have a bedroom, right?” she teases.

“Yeah, I know,” and Jim squeezing her tight, “but sometimes. . . .”

“Jim,” her dad grumbles and Joanna giggles again.

“Jo, do you still have stuff to bring in?” Jim offers as he heads toward the door.

“Just a couple of bags in the back seat,” she calls after him, “and no peaking!”

Joanna turns back to her father and raises her hand to brush down his hair. He blushes as he smiles and pulls her in for another hug.

“It’s good to be home.”

2.

Joanna really does love Christmas in Iowa. The first year had been a struggle and looking back, it was embarrassing. She’d been moody and difficult at every turn. What had finally brought her around was the trip to the old fashioned tree farm. It’s still one of her favorite parts of Christmas.

Everyone she knew in Georgia had artificial trees. That first year she had made some snide comment about the environment, prompting Jim to pull up every piece of information he could find on this particular tree farm. He had patiently gone over all of it, making sure she understood the strict regulations regarding the management of the land and the trees. The evergreen farm had been in existence for over one hundred years and Jim’s grandparents had brought him here when he was child. That hadn’t mattered to her back then. She had been more caught up in the totally new experience of finding and cutting a real Christmas tree.

Some years, Jim’s brother and his family joined them. She cherished the memories of running through the rows with George and Peter looking for the perfect tree. When they were older, the boys were allowed to actually cut the tree themselves. She had been allowed to help, but quickly decided that drinking hot chocolate and laughing at her “cousins” with the adults was a lot more fun.

This year it was just the three of them. The ride from the house was fun, with both Jim and her dad asking about school. Jim brought up her social life, her dad scowled, and Joanna blushed. They asked after her mother and grandparents in Georgia. When they finally pulled into the parking area, they were all laughing and Joanna feels very content.

The tree farm is exactly as she remembered it. The smell of evergreen is almost overpowering as she steps out into the mid-morning sunshine. The air is still but cold so she pulls on her gloves and glares fondly at her father as he pulls a hat onto her head. She’ll always be his baby girl.

As they tramp over to the office, she can already smell the spiced cider and hot chocolate brewing on the antique stove that sits in the corner. The overhead bell rings as Jim opens the door and ushers her and her father through.

“Well look who’s here!” Mr. Baumgartner said rising from his desk to shake hands with Jim and her father. “Jim, Leonard good to see you again. And Miss Joanna! We weren’t sure whether or not we’d being seeing you this year.” “Mother!” he called to the back room, “we have visitors!”

Mrs. Baumgartner appeared from around the corner, basket brimming with bags of kettle corn in her arms. “Hello there!” she sets the treats on the table and meets Jo in a tight hug. “We were just talking about you the other day and wondered if you’d be in Iowa this year.”

“I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” Jo smiles at her.

“Good to hear,” Mrs. Baumgartner whispers, “I know the boys miss you terribly when you’re in Georgia for the holidays.”

Jo just nods at that. It’s the bane of a child from a divorced family. Someone always misses you during the holidays, just as much as you miss them.

“Are you ready to head out, Jo?” her father asks from the corner where he, Jim and Mr. Baumgartner have been going over a map of the property.

“Just let me get my cider. Do you or Jim want some?”

“Hot chocolate for me, please,” Jim calls over his shoulder, “with marshmallows!”

“Cider, please.”

Joanna looks up from the travel mugs she’s filling at the softness of her father’s voice. He’s watching Jim with an expression that is so intense and full of love that it stops her from commenting.

They head out to the shed with Mr. Baumgartner to get the tools. He tell then to just return them when they’re finished, wishes them luck and heads back to the office. After forty-five minutes of intense debate over the merits of a fir tree verse a scotch pine they wander through the rows of trees in search of the perfect fir.

It takes another half hour to find the tree and chop it down. The temperature has risen, but the wind has picked up and Jo is happy to be headed back to the office. Mrs. Baumgartner hands her a fresh cup of cider and a bag of kettle corn while her father pays for the tree.

“Jo-Jo, why don’t you stay in here out of the wind while your dad and I finish up outside?”

“Yes, dear. You can tell me all about school and what you’ve been up to.”

“Okay.”

Joanna settles on the small sofa near the stove and tells Mrs. Baumgartner about her first semester of college. Eventually she notices that she’s been talking for nearly an hour and neither her father nor Jim have returned. She wonders if they decided to try and tie the tree to the car and drive it back to the house instead of using the transporter.

“I guess I should go see what’s taking so long and see if they need any help,” she explains as she pulls her coat back on. With hugs all around, she sets off to see what’s become of her father and Jim.

Her first stop is the transporter pad. Gerhard Baumgartner is running it today. He’s four or five years older than Joanna and she’s had a crush on him for as long as she can remember. He hugs her hello and tells her that her dad dropped off their tree almost an hour ago. She frowns at that, but they begin chatting about school. She’s not sure if it’s the wind or if he’s really blushing when he tells her he will be in Boston in April and asks if they can meet up for coffee. They finally wind around to holiday plans and she remembers she was looking for her parents. He hugs her again and tells her to check the tool shed.

The lights automatically come on when she opens the door of the tool shed. It’s old and dusty and the smell of oil and pine resin is intense, but it’s out of the wind and moderately warm. She walks past the row of tools calling for her father. “Dad! Jim! Are you in here?”

She hears a crashing sound in the back corner of the shed and turns that direction. At the end of the last row of shelves is a door. She takes a steading breath and stalks toward the door. As she gets closer she can hear two very familiar if slightly panicked voices.

“Jesus, Bones! What the hell did you do to my shirt? It’s missing three buttons!”

“You liked it at the time! Put your sweatshirt back over it and no one will know the difference! And help me find my belt!”

There is another crash of metal against metal as the wall in front of her shakes and dust drifts down around her.

“Shhhhh! Not so loud!”

“Alright, alright! Do you have everything?”

“I think so. Just let me do something about your hair. Oh, shit!”

“What?”

“Um… Bones, did you bring a scarf?”

“No why? Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me! I told you to be careful!”

“I was careful! Shit, there is no way Jo’s not going to see that!”

There’s more shuffling, a little mumbling.

Joanna leans back against the shelf facing the door. On one hand this is hysterical but on the other it is soooooo very wrong.

She clears her throat before calling, “Y’all coming out anytime soon?”

It’s met with utter silence.

When the door opens a few minutes later, Jim’s shirt tail is hanging out below his sweatshirt and he’s trying to pull on his coat. Her father is behind him, the collar of his coat popped up in a manner that is neither fashionable nor subtle.

Jim glances up as he mumbles, “Um, hi, Jo.”

“Hi, sweetie.” Her father doesn’t even look at her. “I guess we lost track of the time.”

Joanna, being a true McCoy, raises her eyebrow at them both as she reaches forward and straightens the offending coat collar.

“I’d say so!” She lifts her father’s head and her attention is immediately drawn to his neck and the dark purple bruise that wasn’t there when he left her in the office. “For the love of…what do you two think you’re doing?” she hisses. “What if Mrs. Baumgartner had walked in here instead of me?”

“She’d have probably laughed just like the last…ummph! Bones! That hurt!” Jim rubs his side where her father had elbowed him.

Joanna knows her jaw is on the ground but she pulls herself together. “You mean you’ve done this before? And got caught? Oh my god! How do you even show your faces here?”

Her father winces. “It’s kind of become a tradition?”

Joanna glares at him in disbelief.

“Yeah,” Jim pipes in. “There’s a reason no one comes looking for us.”

Joanna turns her glare toward Jim who quickly looks at his feet. After a few more minutes of really awkward silence, Jim claps his gloved hands together. “I guess we should head on home.”

The men follow Joanna out of the tool shed. As they pass the office, Mr. and Mrs. Baumgartner both emerge from the office and wave.

Mr. Baumgartner whispers to his wife, who nods then hurries after them. She takes a hold of Jim’s arm, slowing his steps. Joanna continues along for a few steps before she catches the conversation going on behind her.

“Was the tool shed warm enough, Jimmy? That heater has been acting up lately.”

Joanna slips on the gravel beneath her feet, she spins around so fast.

“Everything was perfect, Mrs. B. See you next year.” Jim winks at Mrs. Baumgartner then hurries quickly past Joanna.

Mrs. Baumgartner murmurs something about “such a cute couple” and waves to her once more before Joanna follows Jim and her father to the car in total disbelief.

3.

The evening is tense. After the tree farm, Joanna is on edge and so is her father. She does notice when she comes down for dinner that the hickey has been healed and she relaxes just a bit. At least she won’t have to look at it.

They set the tree up in a corner of the living room, close enough to the fireplace to be pretty but far enough to be safe. It takes her father and Jim twenty minutes to decide that the tree is straight in the stand and which side is the front. Joanna spends the time unpacking and setting up the rest of the indoor decorations.

While the tree is real, the rest of the greenery is artificial and needs to be re-fluffed as she wraps it carefully around the white wooden stair rails and banister. She unpacks all of the knick-knacks that Winona had tucked away, things that before the end of the holiday, Jim will pick up one by one and tell her the stories of his childhood again, both the happy and sad times.

She moves to a smaller box marked BONES. It’s things from her father’s childhood that her Grandma McCoy had sent many years ago. She knows there’s more, but they are still in use in at her grandmother’s home in Georgia. Nestled inside the BONES box is a smaller box marked JO. It’s every holiday ornament or decoration she’s ever made for the two of them. She laughs at how horrible some of them are but loves the way her father and Jim always insist on every one of them being on display.

After finishing with the fireplace mantle, she heads back to the attic. The box marked LIGHTS is buried somewhere but Jim couldn’t remember where. It’s not with the other boxes of holiday paraphernalia so Joanna begins to dig through decades of Kirk family history. She finally locates the box in a back corner mixed in with boxes marked TOYS.

There is an old fashioned bouncy horse leaning against the wall. It’s made of a mix of light and dark color woods and still has its leather saddle and bridle. The name on the bridle is Thunderbolt. She sets the horse upright and thinks about Jim and his brother playing together and it makes her smile. It also makes her curious. She’s not that big and Thunderbolt seems to be in really good condition. She’s also alone. Carefully, she pushes down on the saddle. The old springs squeak under the pressure, but give easily. She looks around quickly and reassures herself that her father and Jim are still downstairs. She carefully straddles the horse then gently sits down. Thunderbolt’s springs stretch, groan and squeak under her weight, but he feels secure. She grins to herself as she lifts one foot then the other into the stirrups then begins to bounce. It’s ridiculous how something so silly and juvenile can be so much fun, but the novelty wears off quickly, and she’s just climbed off when she hears her father call from the stairwell.

“Jo, did you find the lights?” he calls.

“Yeah, Dad! Just moving some boxes.”

She sees her father poke his head through the doorway. “Here, baby, let me help. You go on downstairs and check the lights. I’ll bring the ornaments.”

“Ok, Daddy,” she says, giving him a kiss on the cheek as she passes.

Jim looks up from the fire he’s been tending as she sets the box on the floor. “Did you find them, Jo-Jo?”

She rolls her eyes at the nickname. “Yeah. They were in the back mixed in with a bunch of old toys.”

She begins laying the light stings out in lines and continues, “I like Thunderbolt. He’s really great. Did you used to ride him?”

“Thunderbolt? He’s still up there?” Jim comes over and helps her check the power cells. “I thought Sam had taken him for the boys.”

“Nope, he’s up there.”

“Wow,” he says taking one pack apart and frowning. “Yeah, Sam and I used to fight over him all the time.” After a moment, he grumbles, “I think this one is dead. There should be some extra power cells upstairs. I’ll go check.”

“Okay.” Joanna glances up from the strand she’s working on. “I think I’ll make some cocoa.”

“Sounds good. Make some for me and your dad, too.” Jim pats her shoulder as he passes and heads toward the stairs.

Joanna goes to the kitchen and begins to rummage through the cabinets for the cocoa powder, sugar, vanilla and other ingredients. She has to use the replicator when she’s at school, but there is nothing like home-made hot chocolate and she isn’t going to waste a single opportunity to have the real thing.

When she returns to the living room with the tray of cocoa and some cookies, she’s surprised to find it still empty. The light strings are still in neat rows on the floor and there is no sign that anyone has worked on the tree since she left. She sets the tray on the coffee table, picks up her mug and takes a sip of the creamy goodness then turns to the stairs. She thinks about going up to look for them but there’s really no hurry. Jim had started the sound system up at some point. She has Christmas music, home-made cocoa and cookies, and a new book on her PADD. She could wait. She grabs the PADD from the coffee table, settles on the couch with her cocoa, and opens the book she began on the shuttle. They’ll be down soon.

Thirty minutes later, she’s tired of waiting. Her cocoa is gone, theirs is cold and her book isn’t as engaging as she’d hoped. Her gaze wanders to the stairs again.

There are many possibilities as to why her father and Jim are taking so long. Jim can’t find the spare power packs. Her father’s OCD kicked in and he started rearranging the attic into some kind of order. They got side tracked looking at Jim’s old toys. That must be it she thinks.

Later, she will acknowledge, if only to herself, that she is sometimes the QUEEN of DENIAL.

She goes upstairs to the landing and calls for Jim. She looks in all the bed rooms and the office. He’s nowhere. That only leaves one place to look.

The attic stairs loom in front of her, dropping from the ceiling, beckoning to her to ascend. She’s halfway up them before a sound snaps her out of her thoughts. It’s an odd, but familiar sound that only a few hours ago she wouldn’t have recognized. The stretch and squeak of Thunderbolt’s springs is unmistakable. Unfortunately, so is the “Oh god! Jim!”

She immediately does an about face and heads back down the stairs, she just reaches the bottom step when she hears a loud crash from above. She is freezes in place until she hears voices. She’s not sure what they’re saying, but they are obviously alright.

Joanna returns to the living room, gathers up the cold cocoa, and goes back to the kitchen to reheat the treat and think. Twice in the same day? What’s gotten into them? And what is she going to do to cool them down? Shortly a grin spreads across her face as she munches on another sugar cookie and formulates her plan.

She settles herself on the sofa, PADD and cocoa in hand, Winona’s hideous rainbow afghan across her lap and waits. When her father and Jim finally appear on the stairs, she’s ready for them. When she notices they’ve changed into t-shirts and sweats she stifles a laugh. It’s like they’re feeding her ammunition.

“Oh, there you are!” she smiles. “I was just thinking about coming to find you.”

“No need, baby girl,” her father says quickly. “Just got a little carried away.”

“Cleaning!” Jim adds quickly. “We were cleaning.”

“Yeah.” Her father has always been a terrible liar. The blush creeping up his neck and to the top of his ears almost makes her feel sorry for him. Almost.

“Uh huh.” Joanna nods at them then gives them her best smirk. “I thought I heard something break? Was it something you were cleaning?”

“Uh…yeah.” Jim spares a fervent glace at her father and he’s blushing, too. Her father just closes his eyes. This is great!

Joanna takes the box of ornaments from her father and sets them on the coffee table “What was it? Nothing important, I hope,” she says as innocently as possible.

“Actually, Jim almost dropped a box and when I was trying to catch it, I tripped and fell on that old bounce horse. The springs gave way and it busted.”

Joanna has to give him credit. Her father is still blushing and she can see the wheels spinning in his head as he makes up the story, but he gives the delivery everything he’s got. Too bad.

“Not Thunderbolt!”

“Don’t worry about it, Jo-Jo.” Jim sets the box he’s carrying down on the floor. “He was old. It wouldn’t have taken much to bust him up. Oh, cocoa!”

Jim takes his cup, sips, and smiles at Joanna. “This is good, Jo. Homemade?”

“Of course,” she says. “I hope it’s still good. It’s been reheated.” Out of the corner of her eye, she sees her father pause in his unpacking and organization of the ornaments.

“Twice, actually,” she fibs. Hey, they lied about the cleaning first, she rationalizes.

Jim flinches. “It’s still really great.”

Joanna bends over and picks up a string of lights. “So did you find a new power pack for this one? I didn’t find one when I went up to look.”

“Power pack?” Jim sounds momentarily confused while her father shoots him a look that says, “We’re dead.”

As hard as she tries, she can’t keep a straight face, “Really, guys?” she laughs. “You’re going to have to come up with better material if you want me to believe nothing’s going on.”

They look at each other then back at Joanna not looking anything like the innocents they’re pretending to be.

“Do I have to spell it out for you?”

“Ummm”

“Fine. Jim, you took off like a phaser blast when I told you Dad was still in the attic. And when you didn’t come back I went looking for you.”

Her father comes over and stands next to Jim and takes his hand. It’s really kind of sweet but she’s on a roll now.

“What you don’t know is I tested out Thunderbolt when I was up there earlier.”

“You tested…”

“Yes, I tested him. He’s awesome so I tried him out for a few minutes and let me tell you both, I know how sturdy he is and he wouldn’t have broken from falling on him.” Joanna takes a breath. “I also know how squeaky his springs are and exactly what I heard when I was on the stairs.”

Her father has gone dead white while Jim is bright red again, but Joanna plows on: “Also, the two of you have never been exactly quiet.”

Jim looks at the floor while her father closes his eyes and turns his face toward the ceiling as if he’s hoping a higher power will swallow them up.

“And come on, guys? You changed your clothes. I’m not twelve anymore!” she laughs.

Joanna watches them process everything she’s said. While they’ve always been very demonstrative in their affections, they haven’t been like this in years. When they finally look at her again, she smiles. “I’m not sure what’s gotten into you two, and in a way, I think it’s awesome that you’re still so crazy about each other. But can you try to get a grip? At least while I’m home?”

When they just nod at her, Joanna suddenly feels a little guilty. She meant what she said about them still being so in love. At nineteen, she’s seen enough relationships crash and burn, including her mother’s. Thank the stars; marriage number three is going on six years and seems stronger than ever.

Joanna steps up and pulls Jim and her father close. “I love you guys. You know?”

“We know, baby girl.” Her father kisses the top of her head.

“Sorry ‘bout that, Jo.” Jim adds a kiss of his own.

“S’okay.” She squeezes them tightly. “How about I rewarm that cocoa? Again.”

They laugh together, hug once more, and get back to work.

Joanna isn’t the least bit surprised to find them under the mistletoe in the doorway when she returns.

4.

Joanna is moderately surprised, but the next few days are uncomfortable incident free. The only thing she walks in on is relatively chaste kisses and a few minor ass gropes. She should have known it wouldn’t last.

Ice skating had been her father’s idea. Of course he had wanted to take her to the rink in Iowa City, but the temperature had been hovering in the 20’s during the day and below around zero at night, so Jim insisted that the pond on the property was solid. And while the farm was no longer a working one, the Kirk name and Jim’s charm had earned a review by the local farm bureau agent and the pond was pronounced safe.

Joanna always wonders at the grace her father has on ice. The man had never seen a snowfall until he was in his thirties, but the fluid motion is captivating. She knew the story. Jim had taught him the first Christmas they’d spent in Iowa and how Jim had realized on that holiday break that he was in love. It had taken him another year and Nero for Jim to tell her father how he felt.

They tramp across the weathered pasture to the pond. The day is bright and the air is crisp as they spend the afternoon trying to outdo each other. Jim is as competitive as ever and has never gotten over the idea that her father is the better skater. Joanna is no slouch. With five years of lessons under her belt, she still has some moves, even if they are a bit rusty. When she misses her second double axel, her father calls for an end to the day. Secretly she’s relieved. It’s been several years since she competed and she feels horribly out of shape and even old. Old. When the hell did that happen?

She shakes herself out of her head and smiles as she watches Jim take her father’s hand and pull him up from the frozen bank of the pond. Her father leans in whispering something that makes Jim’s whole face light up as he kisses the back of Jim’s gloved hand.

Not for the first time this week, she wonders what’s going on between them. Jim has always been exceptionally (his word, not hers) tactile, but her father is normally much more reserved. She wants to ask, but she knows better. When she was thirteen, she had cornered Jim and asked him why he didn’t marry her dad. She had been hounding him for several weeks when he had finally had enough and told her that it was none of her damn business, it wasn’t from his lack of trying, and that she should just drop it. She still remembers the strain in his voice. “Dammit Jo! It’s no one’s business except for me and your dad!”

“But Jim…”

“NO! You want to know? You need to ask him!” Then Jim had walked off.

It had shaken her up. Jim rarely cursed around her and never at her, so she went to her father. He wasn’t any happier with her prying than Jim, but he did talk to her. He had told her that it was his decision not to get married again, that Jim respected that choice, and that he expected her to do the same. The whole episode had left her feeling very sad for all of them, but she had never asked again.

Whatever is going on now, they are both incredibly happy and that leaves Joanna feeling almost giddy.

By the time they walk make it back to the house, they are really getting cold. The wind has picked up and as the sweat from skating cooled, they are all becoming bone deep chilled. Of course the best cure for bone deep chill is another round of hot chocolate! Joanna is happy to get things started as her father and Jim rummage through the cabinets for something to go with it since they ate the last of the cookies yesterday.

When it’s finally ready, Joanna pours out three steaming cups of cocoa then goes to the refrigerator in search of the whipped cream.

“Dad, where is the whipped cream?”

“It’s in the fridge?” Her father sounds unconcerned but that’s because he has just brought in a bottle of bourbon from the bar in the living room.

“No, it’s not.” Joanna mumbles as she scours the shelves once more.

“Are you sure?”

It’s at that moment Joanna notices her Jim give her father a little wave. His eyes shift as he tries to point upward discreetly and attempts to sneak out unnoticed.

“Yeah. That’s weird. I know we got two cans at the store,” she says shaking her head.

“We must have used them up.”

“I doubt it,” Joanna says skeptically. “I’m the only one who’s been using it on the cocoa and we bought a whole extra can for the pies on Christmas.”

Joanna knows it’s true. Her father and Jim like bourbon or amaretto in their cocoa and while Jo likes a bit of amaretto on occasion, she’s been all about the whipped cream this week.

“I suppose I could replicate some,” she sighs and shakes her head. “My feet are cold. I’m gonna get my slippers.”

Joanna heads for her bedroom and her toasty warm slippers. Her brain dimly registers her father calling out to her before she runs into Jim just outside the master bedroom on the landing.

“Oh! Jo!” Joanna can’t help but see the can he quickly moves to behind his back.

“Jim?”

Jim keeps his hands behind his back as he attempts to slide past her. “Where are you going?”

Joanna ignores the question, “Jim, what’s behind your back?”

She hears a soft thump behind her and turns to see her father halted midway up the stairs, hitting his head quietly against the wall and mumble to himself.

Her stomach twists and she slowly turns back to Jim.

“Is that what I think it is?”

“Is what what you think it is?”

“For the love of…you know what? I don’t need to know!

Jim doesn’t say anything but her father is now standing behind her “Sweetheart…”

“No! I don’t want to know!” She recognizes she sounds mildly hysterical. Surely no one could blame her. “I’m going to go to my room and get my slippers. When I come back downstairs, we aren’t going to talk about this. We are all going to forget this ever happened!” She knows she’s glaring at them now, but she may never be able to look at a can of whipped cream again! And it’s definitely their fault!

She storms past them and shuts her door harder than she intended, but this is getting out of hand. She leans back into the door and focuses on her breathing, trying to calm herself.

She can hear them talking in the hallway. Jim is upset and her father is apologizing all over the place. She just wants to hide in her room because the rest of the day has been shot to hell, but she knows that will just make things worse. She changes into a pair of sweats and her fuzzy red slippers then sits on her bed. Breathing isn’t helping. She goes to her bathroom and brushes out her hair. She really wants--no, needs to talk to someone, but she’s not sure who. Her mother is obviously out. She’s always been close to Christine. However, she knows Christine and Scotty are on their much delayed honeymoon, so she really doesn’t want to bother them. Nyota! Except she’s sure her father said she and Spock were off to New Vulcan, the healers there being ready to help Spock and Nyota with the birth of their first child in a few weeks’ time. She’s going to have to deal with this on her own. Sometimes, she thinks, growing up really sucks. With this insight in mind, she heads back down stairs.

It’s the worst evening she’s spent with them in years. Both her father and Jim are unusually quiet, only speaking to solicit her opinion on the pizza they order and the vid they watch with dinner. Joanna can’t remember the last time she went to bed willingly at nine o’clock, but tonight she’s more than happy to escape the tension with a weak excuse of being tired.

5.

That night, the weather grid fails. The result is the first unchecked snow in central Iowa in over eighty years. Joanna spends the next two days watching her father and Jim. Things are tense between them and she knows it’s because of her. Her complete meltdown has left them skittish about showing affection around her.

Jim is sitting at the end of the sofa and her father is sitting on the other side of the room. It’s better than one of them shutting themself in the office like they had done the first day, but Joanna still doesn’t like it.

It’s Christmas Eve and after being snowed in, Joanna is ready to get out of the house. She also still needs to buy one more gift for her half-sister. Jim and her father insist on driving her to the shopping plaza in Iowa City. It’s a bit annoying because the likelihood of the weather grid crashing twice is remote, but after the tension of the last few days, she doesn’t want to fuss.

They pick up home baked doughnuts and coffee at the little shop in Riverside before heading to the city. The ride is pleasant with a tasty, unhealthy breakfast, holiday carols on the sound system, and Jim and her father once again relaxed in her presence. Joanna knows it is the start of an awesome day.

The old shopping plaza hasn’t changed much in the last ten years. There is a major store at each end with three levels of smaller shops and restaurants between. Joanna’s first stop is the jewelry and accessory shop where she picks out a few things for her little sister. At twelve, Victoria is not really into toys anymore and on their last vid call Joanna had noticed Tori wearing fingernail polish and some cute jewelry. She also had a poster of the latest boy band on her bedroom wall. What a difference four months made! When Joanna had asked (teased) about it, her sister confessed that maybe there was more to life than soccer and asked Joanna to help her pick out some clothes for the New Year’s party their mother always threw. It was weird to realize that Tori was growing up, but Joanna was excited to think about having a new kind of relationship with her. They had settled on a deep violet dress, so Joanna picks out a beautiful amethyst colored necklace and earrings and was already planning on how to help Tori with her hair.

By the time she finishes her shopping she notices she's lost Jim and her father who have wondered over to the book store. She sees Jim in the stacks, historical biographies of course, and her father is at the check-out.

He sees her come in and smiles. “Find what you were looking for?”

“Yeah.” Joanna pulls the necklace from the bag. “It has earrings to match.”

“Very nice. I’m sure she’ll love them.”

“I hope so,” Joanna replies. “I never thought I’d be looking for jewelry for Tori. I can’t remember the last time I bought something for her that did come from The Sports Galleria.”

Her father kisses the top of her head. “Well, tastes change as you grow up and y’all do tend to grow up.”

“I know.”

“Besides, I doubt she’s left the sporting life behind completely. I remember a fourteen year old who wanted tickets to the ballet and fencing lessons for Christmas one year.”

“And they were both fantastic!” Joanna squeezes him tightly.

“Hugs? Can I get in on this or is it a private affair?” Jim jokes as he walks up behind them.

Joanna reaches out and pulls Jim into the hug just as the girl behind the counter hands her father his bag, thanks them, and wishes them a Merry Christmas.

“Where to next?” Jim asks once they’re out of the shop.

“I need to stop over there.” Joanna points to the lingerie shop.

“Didn’t you just get. . .?” her father starts.

“Yes, but I ran into a little time management issue during finals and ended up doing laundry at 2am one night”-- Jim stifles a laugh when she raises her eyebrow at him--“so I’d like to have a few more necessities on hand.”

“Your dad used to just go commando when that happened.”

“Shut it, Jim!” her father grumbles.

“Hey, no there’s no shame in it. College kids have been doing it forever! It happens.” Jim smirks.

“That was more information than I really needed, Jim, and it’s not an option I really care for. I think I’ll stick to my original plan.”

“Do you have enough credits, baby girl?” Her father has already pulled out his credit chip.

“Umm, I think so.” Joanna frowns as she pulls her chip out and checks her balance. “Probably.”

“Here.” Her father connects the chips and enters a transaction. After the beep signaling the transfer is complete he hands her back her chip. “Just in case.”

As usual he’s transferred a ridiculous amount of money to her account. “Dad, I don’t need this much,” she protests.

“Don’t worry about it. You never know what else might come up. Just keep it.” He hugs her again.

“Jim and I are going to Josef’s. I want to get some new jeans. Meet us there when you’re done, okay.”

“Okay.”

As they turn to leave she hears Jim’s excited, “I love it when you get new jeans, Bones!”

It takes longer than she anticipated to at the lingerie shop and when she finally makes it to Josef’s, Joanna can’t find Jim or her father. They aren’t answering their coms and after searching every department twice she makes her way back to the jeans section to look for a sales clerk.

There are two of them standing by the register. As Joanna approaches she catches their conversation.

“They’re still in there?” the man points toward the changing room.

“Yeah, but I’m guessing they’ll be out soon,” the woman grins.

“I can’t believe you’re not doing anything about this!”

“Like what?” the woman replies exasperated at her colleague. “I’ve worked in this store, in this department forever and it’s just not worth the fight.”

Joanna has a sinking feeling in her stomach that is all too familiar as she quietly moves closer, sliding behind a rack of Levi’s.

“You mean they’ve done this before?” The man is incredulous.

“Yes,” the woman replies quietly, “at least they do if I’m here. They know I won’t bust them.”

“And why not?”

Joanna moves as close as she dares, peaks around the display and focuses on listening to the conversation.

“Well,” the woman says, “I’ve known Jim Kirk most of his life. We were in school together. He’s a good guy who’s become one hell of a man considering where he was at one point.”

The man nods encouragingly as the woman continues. “He asked the first time. It was an anniversary or something. He promised they wouldn’t get caught and wouldn’t leave a mess. I was pissed at the management at the time so I told him to go for it.”

“How could he promise that? Come to think of it, why isn’t security hauling them out?”

“What part of ‘Jim Kirk’ did you not understand? He could have disarmed the pathetic excuse for a security system we have here when he was still in high school.”

“Really?”

“Really.” The woman wraps an arm around the man’s shoulder and gives him a friendly squeeze.

“How long ago was that?”

“Probably six or seven years now.” The woman smiles and continues, “They’ve been together for almost fifteen years.”

“And they’re still doing things like that?” The man sounds a bit wistful. “Steven would never even consider something like that.”

“Yeah, it’s kinda sweet, isn’t it,” the woman sighs.

“And hot.”

“And hot.” The woman turns back to the counter. “So I just trust Jim and Leonard to pick their adventure times carefully and they’ve never let me down. As long as I’m still employed, I don’t really care.”

Joanna isn’t sure what to think of the whole conversation. On one hand, the sales clerk’s reaction is unexpected. On the other hand, this is so very wrong and it’s like they’ve completely forgot how much stress their shenanigans have caused in the last few days.

Joanna steps around the display and is finally noticed by the clerks.

The man, Brian, his nametag says, steps up to her, “Good afternoon. Is there anything I can help you with today?”

Joanna pauses, but decides to just get it over with. She’s tired and ready to go home. “I’m looking for my father. He told me he was coming in here to pick up some jeans, but he’s not answering his com,” she says, “and neither is Jim.”

That gets the attention of the woman, whose name tag says Valerie, and she immediately come from behind the counter.

“So you’re Leonard’s daughter!” she says as she gently turns Joanna’s away from the changing rooms. Joanna allows Valerie to lead her toward the casual shirts as she continues to talk. “Jim and I went to school together and I met your father years ago. They’re quite a pair.”

“Yes, they are,” Joanna agrees. “But they promised me lunch and I’m starving,” she fibs. “Did they say where they were going?”

“I didn’t actually see them leave.” This makes Joanna smile because Valerie isn’t lying to her, but she’s not going to give Jim and her father away. “Why don’t you check the restaurant? Maybe they went there?” she suggests. “If they don’t turn up soon come back and I’ll help you find them.”

“Good idea,” Joanna says as they reach the front of the store.

“It was nice to meet you, Ms. McCoy.”

“It was nice to meet you too, Valerie.” Joanna gives her a smile. “And when you see my dad and Jim, please tell them to hurry up.”

Valerie’s eyes go wide and her jaw drops briefly before she breaks out in a huge grin. “I’ll do that!”

Joanna winks at her and walks away.

Her father and Jim arrive at the restaurant fifteen minutes later looking flustered. They approach the table slowly, like they’re waiting for her to explode.

Joanna smiles at them as they take their seats. “Glad you finally made it.”

“Sorry, Jo.” Jim mumbles.

“No problem,” she says. “I ordered you both some tea.”

“Thanks.”

“Did you get your jeans, Dad?”

“Yeah. They had a sale on.”

“We always shop there when we’re home,” Jim adds.

“So I’ve heard.” Joanna tries not to laugh at how quickly both of them look at her. “Valerie is really nice, Jim.”

“Yeah, she is.”

Jim is blushing! This is awesome!

Except her father looks really worried and that’s not what she wanted.

“Yeah, she told me that y’all would turn up and that I should just wait for you here. She also said to come back to the store and she’d help me if you didn’t show up soon, but here you are, so no worries.”

When she sees her father’s shoulders slowly begin to relax she smiles at him. “Now, what shall we eat? You two must be starving.”

The tension in her father’s shoulders returns tenfold and the color drains from Jim’s face and Joanna wants to bash her head into the table. She really didn’t mean it like that! Dammit!

She reaches across the table and takes each one by the hand, “Daddy. Jim. Look at me. Please?”

“Thanks for coming with me today.” She squeezes their hands. “I love you guys.”

They glance at each other before looking back to Joanna and squeeze her hand back.

“Love you too, baby girl.”

“Love you too, Jo Jo.”

The waiter comes over to take their orders. The rest of lunch and the ride back to the farm are relaxed and Joanna feels content. It has been an awesome day.

+1

Technically it’s just into Christmas morning when Joanna tiptoes past the master bedroom and down the stairs for a cup of tea. She’s been up late vid chatting with Victoria, who called to tell her about the gift she received from her crush at midnight service. Apparently the way to win her little sister’s heart is with soccer ball earrings!

The soft glow from the lights on the Christmas tree filters into the stair well. Somebody forgot to turn the lights off before they went to bed.

When Joanna reaches the bottom step she realizes she can hear Jim’s voice.

“You can ask me anything, Bones, you know that.” His voice is laced with concern and she wonders if there is going to be a fight about their shopping trip.

Joanna peeks around the corner and sees them both on the floor. Jim is seated with legs crossed in front of him and his back against the couch. Her father is on his knees in front of Jim. They’re at an odd angle and from her spot on the bottom step; she can’t see either of their faces.

She can see her father reach forward to take Jim by the arms and gently pull him up onto his knees so they are now face to face holding hands.

“Jim, I know I’ve always said never again.”

Joanna’s breath catches in her chest. This can’t be what she thinks it is! Or is it? She should leave. Go back upstairs! This is private! But she can’t. As quietly as possible, she backs up two steps and sits down to listen.

“Bones?”

“Let me finish, darlin’.”

“For the past fifteen years you’ve been my best friend. For the past twelve years, you’ve been so much more. I don’t know if I’d have made it this far without you. You’ve seen me at my worst but you’ve never given up on me. You’ve shown me how to make the most out of life and you remind me to live every day to the fullest.”

It goes quiet and Joanna feels like she’s going to explode. She leans forward on the step, straining to hear, her hands twisting in the hem if her t-shirt. It’s all too much! She creeps down to the bottom step and cautiously peers into the room just as they break apart.

Her father sounds a little breathless as he continues. “You’re an amazing man, Jim. I can’t imagine my life without you. Never again seems ridiculous when I could have always and forever. I love you. Will you marry me?”

Joanna is frozen in place as everything seems to run in slow motion until she hears Jim answer. When he says yes, it’s all she can do not to run into the room and cheer. Instead she watches for a moment as they seal their engagement with, what she has to admit, is a pretty awesome kiss before heading back to her room.


End file.
